Alcalá View 1994 10.5

A newsletter for the employees of the University of San Diego View

February 1994, Vol. 10, Issue 5

Brooks Helps USD Build for Tomorrow b)' Michael R. Haskins There's a lo t of constructi on go ing on at USO these days, but not necessarily the type that requires bu lldoze rs and jackhammers. Instead, the university is qu ietly bui lding for the future - often in ways that are, at fi rst glance , inv isible . One of the enginee rs of this building boom is Fred Brooks, USO's vice pres ident fo r finance and administra tion. And hi s jobs are numerous. Bui lding bridges to the com- mun ity. Bu ild ing relat ionships among departments that often must share li mited resources. Bu ilding new sources of fund ing in touah economic times. And, mos t impor- "' tant, bu ilding a secure financial found ation to ca rry USO into the nex t century. "The encl fun ct ion of the university bud - ge t process has to be to develop priorities for the long- term hea lth of the schoo l," says Brooks, who jo ined USO in August 1992 and supervi ses fin ance and accounting as well as phys ica l plant, human resources, public safety and university services such as pr in ting, purchas ing and the bookstore. "Un iversities need to th ink in the long te rm; otherwise we're no t go ing to survive. " The top priority for USO, Brooks acids, is to become mo re effi c ient. "We're go ing to go through the same kind of rethinking that industry has gone through," he says. "That does n't mean that we're go ing to go out and slash the work fo rce , but it does mean that we have to lea rn to use our resources better at every level of the un ive rsity. " Like any good builder, Brooks is starting with the bas ics, including using the skills and capabilities the university already has ava ilable. He po ints out, for examp le , th.at n1.any of the academi c depa rtments - such as business or sc ience - could eas il y put

Pax Christi Prayer Group Begin the new year by doing something to bring peace to our world . Through- out the second semester, a Pax Christi prayer group will meet Tuesdays from 7:15- 8:30 p.m. , Founders 151 . Along with prayer, there will be discussions on topics involving peacemaking and non-violence. For more infor- mation , contact Sister Irene Cullen, RSCJ, (ext. 2265) or practical theology graduate student Jackie Fix (435-6781 ) The Manchester Child Development Center will be sponsoring a bake sale in front of the Hahn University Center on Feb. 23 from 1 O a.m. to 1 p.m. Please stop by and help support their efforts. Bible Study USD community Bible study will resume meeting Wednesdays, noon to 1 p.m., in UC 220. All USD employ- ees and graduate students are encouraged to attend this all-faith Bible study. SEA Strands Note from Project Sate- house to everyone who donated items at Christmas : 'Thank you so much tor your thoughtful and generous donation of everything from clothes and food to bedding and household goods. Otten , the women and children who come here arrive with little or nothing, so it's always appre- ciated when someone in the (Continued on page four) evenings. Bake Sale

Fred Brooks the ir skills to work in so lving some of the practi ca l pro blems faced by the university. Other bas ics include the need to reth ink h ow funding is rece ived and d istributed. Brooks acknowledges the need for alterna- tive sources of income and resources, such as resea rch grants, but also cautions that fin an - c ial tracleoffs must be made in ord er to int rodu ce new capabi li t ies and programs. "We're go ing to be forced to make cho ic- es that we have not been fo rced to make before," he says. "I don't see that as a short- term phenomenon. The yea rs of clouble- dioit increases in tuition are pretty much t, over with." Tuition is not the onl y source of fund ing which can no longe r carry as much of the load. With the end of the Educat ion for a New Age capital campaign - which Brooks characteri zed as a "phenomena l success" - and a st ill-flagg ing Ca liforn ia economy, the uni ve rsity is faced with diffi cult cho ices when it comes to finances. Perhaps fo remost among those cho ices is the dec ision to redirec t some opera ting fund s to financ ial aid. Brooks described the reac tion of the USO community to that move as "sympathetic," no ting that finan- c ial realit ies - such as the federal govern- (Continued on /Jage three)

West Finds New Pathways to Success b)' Michael R. Haskins

Benefit Briefs

The California Casualty group is happy to announce rate rollbacks and rate ad- justments. Employees in- sured by California Casualty between 11 /8/88 and 11 /7/89 may be eligible for a premi- um refund . In addition, cur- rent rates will be adjusted, in some cases as much as 20 percent. Contact your local California Casualty office for complete information. Tuition remission policy clar- ification: Self-supporting pro- grams such as graduate career programs, continuing education and summer camps are not covered by tuition remission . Except for summer Guadalajara and summer law foreign pro- grams , study abroad or away from campus is not eligible for tuition remission. Financial aid and law finan- cial aid deadlines for the aca- demic year 1994-95 are just around the corner. Full-time students eligible for financial aid mL..3t file before the appropriate 1994 deadline. Full-time students applying for admission in 1994-95, who meet aid eligibility re- quirements, must file before the appropriate deadlines this spring . Tuition remission benefits may be affected if the full-time student is eligi- ble for aid and does not file . It is still too early to know if summer tuition remission bene- fits will be available. Watch the mail in April for complete information and instructions. Benefits are awarded based on priority as described in the tuition remission policy. Medical/dental membership service numbers: PruCare, 457-4337; Kaiser, 528-9687; PruNetwork, 279-2411 ; Fortis, (800) 800-2000, ext. 4211; Western, (800) 992- 3366. Employees who changed health plans during open enrollment should have their membership cards by the end of January. Please contact the appropriate mem- bership service office if you do not receive one by then . - Vicki Coscia

If you've eve r led a tour group of yo ung girls into the Grand Canyon and spent a week teaching them how to ge t along in the wilderness, you've ce rta inly ea rned the right to ca ll yo urse lf a qua lifi ed guide. Diane West has achi eved th is fea t not once, but scores of times. G uiding people through difficult situa- ti ons comes naturally to Wes t, however. From the numerous fi eld trips to the Gra nd Canyon with the G irl Scouts, to her work as a credit counse lor, to her current role as sec- retary to the ass istant and assoc iate deans of arts and sc iences, she acts as the ex peri - enced na viga tor, helping others reach the ir goa ls and des tinations. O f course, you can 't he lp people make their own journey until you' ve trave led ex tensive ly yourse lf. West, runner-up fo r the Emp loyee of the Year Award presented at las t summer's S taff Employee Apprec iation Picni c, has a history of chal- lenging herse lf to break new ground. For instance , after her youngest child started schoo l fu ll-time , West dec ided to pursue caree r goa ls that might have seemed unattainable to someone with little prev ious work experience. But despite her short resume, she landed a job with the Morris Plan Co. , a Californi a savings and loan . "The manage r of the branch rea lly h ad to talk hard to ge t approva l to hire me, because they rea lly didn't know what they were ge tting," West recalls. "But he to ld me, 'Your people ski lls wil l take you fa r. "' And indeed they have. Wes t quickly worked her way from te ller to branch man- age r, then left to open a new branch fo r another bank. She then worked fo r fiv e years in what she calls "one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had," as a coun- se lor for Consumer Cred it Counse lors, help- ing people find the ir way out of fin anc ial trouble. Wes t began work for USO in May 1989 in the loans co llection office, but a short time later moved to the dean's office , where she continues to put her people skills to good use. "Whether student, faculty member, or staff, Diane finds a way to accommodate everyone in a way that not only sa tisfi es the ir request but leaves them fee ling good about the ir interact ions with our office,"

Diane West, runner-u/J for las t )'Car 's Staff Em/Jlo)'ee of the Year Award. wro te Assoc iate Dean Betsy Winters and Ass istant Dean Mitch Malachowski in the ir letter nominating Wes t fo r Employee of the Year. "She is a natu ra l leader who continually generates ideas for improv ing whatever she is invo lved in ." Invo lvement neve r has been a problem for West. She re luctantly gave up her pos i- tion with the G irl Scouts to make time to pursue a degree in soc iology, but then took on two more ass ignments: co-pres ident of the Staff Emp loyees Assoc iation and safety committee member. O ff-campus, she pur- sues hobbies as eclec tic as pa inting and backpacking. And a lthough th.i s might seem li ke too much for some people, West sees the ab ility to help as more than enough compensa tion for her time. "I can't go in with the attitude that I'm go ing to change the world," West says of her work with the SEA. "But if I can be there just one time and he lp someone who's no t happy with their situation, then maybe I can make a difference. " No matter what the challenge, Wes t seems to find a way through. Winters and Malachowski noted in the ir nominating let- ter that "it was clea r from day one that Diane had the ta lent , dedi ca tion , ini tiati ve and tempe rament to successfu ll y nav iga te th ro ugh the comp lex iti es of her job. " But when you've guided as many people as Diane Wes t has , finding your own way is second nature.

Department of the Month Public Safety

Training Trac.ks A series of one-hour lunch- time workshops on fiscal fit- ness will begin on Jan. 27 with an introduction to finan- cial planning . President Clinton's new tax bill will be discussed Feb. 9. Invest- ments will be the topic on Feb. 28, and the March 18 meeting will cover estate planning . You may attend any or all of the sessions. Call ext. 4594 for reservations. On Feb. 17, a workshop on effective communication skills will be offered from noon to 1 p.m. A three-part series on parenting skills will begin on March 9 and continue for three consecutive Wednes- days during the lunch hour. This series will include com- munication skills for parents, alternatives to nagging , how to give a time-out and getting along with your teen . Regi- ster for any of these pro- grams by calling ext. 4594. Watch for upcoming pro- grams on child safety, well- ness and holistic medicine. Remember to check the human resources bulletin board for current activities and programs. - Calista Frank Passages Birth A boy, Troy Francis, to Jacqueline Genovese, pub- lications, and her husband Ronnie Adkins, on Jan . 8. Marriage Eric Wildman, accounting and finance , and Dorothy Haddow, registrar's office, were wed on Dec . 18. Deaths General George W. Hickman Jr. , former acting dean and professor emeritus of the School of Law, in December. Thomas Stewart, father of Shawna Stewart, human resources workplace literary manager, in December. Paul E. Hansen , father-in- law of Donald McGraw, associ- ate provost, in December. Laura and Don McGraw write: "We and our family (Continued on page four)

1. Where is your department loca ted? The pub li c safety departmen t comp rises two d iv isio ns, the un i- ve rsity po li ce depa rtme nt and th e park ing se rv ices depa rtme nt. T h e un ive rsity po lice de part- ment is loca ted o n the N o rth Perimete r Road , just north o f Camino H a ll, and is o pen 24 h o urs a day, seve n days a week. Pa rking se rv ices is loca ted in Mah er H a ll , room 106. 2 . What are the functions of

Public safety staff includes (left to right) Armando Gonzalez , Joanne Miller, Robert Brown , Molly Landi , Arlene Wcei

Trebes and Lonnie Turner.